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The “Easy” Life of a Writer

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You know; the writing process is not an easy thing. I’ve heard people say, “Wow, you’ve got the easiest job ever.” I have to laugh, because that is far more socially acceptable than smacking them in the face. Let me give you a rundown of my average day:

4:30 a.m. – Wake up, stumble to the computer and sit there yawning while the thing boots up. Open WordPerfect and write daily blogs for www.families.com.

5:30 a.m. – Blogs must be finished and work must begin on current books, two of which are currently in the works with one having a May 1st deadline.

9:30 a.m. – Exercise, shower, eat and take a quick nap.

11:30 a.m. – Hit the internet, library or sources for research on current work in addition to future work.

2:30 p.m. – Marketing on current books and literacy.

4:30 p.m. – Make dinner, do laundry, clean house.

7:00 p.m. – Watch t.v. shows with husband.

9:00 p.m. – Pass out.

Okay, that’s my daily schedule with slight variations for interviews, book signings, firesides, speaking engagements and the like. In addition, any time my family drops by, everything gets dropped and I have to make it up during sleeping time. But let me talk to you about the actual writing process.

I used to do writing exercises every day, now I write blogs, which accomplishes the same thing. Once I’m done with those then I get to work. If I’m starting a new book, I begin with a basic outline of the story. I then write down all the research points and then do the research. As I do the research, the outline is filled out into a full-fledged story, driven largely by the research. Once the research phase is completed, I sit down and fill out biographies for each of my main characters so that I can stay true to what the character will or will not do. Then, when I have completed that, I start writing.